Office of religious freedom a matter of life and death

By Mario Silva
TORONTO — The dignity and equality inherent in all human beings is the most basic of all the principles associated with international law. Both the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Human Rights promote these principles along with respect for freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief.

Regrettably, in far too many parts of the world today respect for even the most basic of human rights is virtually non-existent. This is particularly true in regard to matters of religious freedom and is manifested through intolerance of minority spiritual beliefs.

While the current reality of religious persecution is intolerable in various parts of the world, it is even more distressing that the situation is deteriorating more with each passing day. It is widely acknowledged that up to one billion people across the world are forced to have to contend with discrimination, persecution and oppression related directly to their religious beliefs.

The manifestations of this religious persecution can be found in reports from such countries as Iraq, Pakistan and Egypt to name but a few nations where religious persecution ranges from discrimination to murder and execution. Those who do not adhere to more extremist views are each day facing intolerable violations of their most fundamental human rights.

Unfortunately, most governments have been reluctant to adopt principled positions on the persecution of religious minorities, their reluctance premised on a multitude of diplomatic considerations. The same cannot be said of the Government of Canada which has repeatedly enunciated a courageous and commendably constant position condemning acts of religious persecution irrespective of how it manifests itself or where indeed it occurs.

The government’s principled stand on issues of religious persecution has been exemplified by members of the cabinet such as Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney who, despite great personal risk, attended the funeral last year of Shahbaz Bhatti, the Pakistani Christian Minister for Minorities who was brutally murdered for his opposition to that country’s extreme blasphemy laws.

Consistent with its record of speaking out decisively against religious persecution, the government pledged in the last federal election campaign to create an Office of Religious Freedom. It is indeed refreshing and commendable to see such an office, along with the concurrent policy considerations, constitute a cornerstone of Canadian foreign policy.

Canada’s long-standing commitment to human rights around the world is now focused appropriately upon the issue of religious freedom, an area where human rights proponents may face their most significant challenge.

The creation of such an office took place in the United States under former President Bill Clinton who, over a decade ago, created the Office for International Religious Freedom in the State Department.

Canada’s exemplary record on international human rights is a proud cornerstone of our foreign policy and placing emphasis on the issue of religious freedom and confronting persecution of religious minorities is clearly very badly needed in our contemporary world.

It is important to note that the Canadian Government’s description of this new office notes that it will “monitor religious freedom around the world, to promote religious freedom as a key objective of Canadian foreign policy.”

The assassination, as noted earlier, of Pakistani Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, was a horrendous and cowardly act and the all too familiar ultimate price faced by those who fight against religious persecution.

Only weeks before his death, I had spoken to Mr. Bhatti and heard his reports of persistent violations of the human rights of religious minorities in his country of Pakistan. He knew that in continuing to speak out against such intolerable violations of human rights he would almost certainly face intense threats to his personal safety beyond what he had already experienced. Yet, he understood the need to continue to challenge the abusive application of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws because to fail to do so would only encourage greater repression of religious minorities.

Mr. Bhatti is one of many others who have suffered for speaking out against religious discrimination. Punjabi Governor Salmaan Taheer, a regular outspoken voice against religious persecution in Pakistan, was murdered by his own security personnel. His accused murderer, far from being condemned for his actions, was in fact cheered and showered with rose petals when he was brought into court for formal legal proceedings. This kind of intolerance has no place in our contemporary world.

These are the realities of contemporary Pakistan for religious minorities ranging from Christians to Ahmadis. Pakistan, as a prime example of the pernicious nature of religious intolerance, is among the countries that must be continually challenged when it fails to act to protect its religious minorities.

The pressing question for the international community is how these injustices, acts of violence and state sanctioned prosecutions can continue unabated and seemingly unchallenged with any effective countermeasures? The world community has a profound responsibility to speak out against such persecution irrespective of political, foreign policy or economic considerations.

As the former Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights I tabled a motion, unanimously approved, calling on the Government of Canada to demand that Pakistan immediately remove the offensive blasphemy provisions of their penal code. I have served as Co-Chair of the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism and I continue to work on this issue because it is one of the most prevailing and growing human rights issues facing our time. In both these capacities I have had the honour of working with many individuals who have made the fight against religious persecution a part of their life’s work.

I commend the Government of Canada for its commitment to establish its Office for Religious Freedom and I encourage it to move expeditiously in establishing this important platform for Canada’s voice to be heard even more loudly on this most fundamental of human rights, the right to worship and practice one’s religious beliefs without fear or discrimination, oppression or physical violence.

Mario Silva is the former Member of Parliament for Davenport and Vice Chair of the House Sub-Committee on Human Rights (Foreign Affairs). He is also the Co-Chair of the Canadian Parliamentary Committee to Combat Antisemitism which is in the process of finalizing its final report.